14 January,2017 09:10 AM IST | | Agencies
The Hungarian camerawoman who was filmed kicking and possibly tripping migrants along the country’s border with Serbia was sentenced to three years’ probation for disorderly conduct
Petra Laszlo (inset) kicks a child as she runs with other migrants from a police line during disturbances in southern Hungary. Pic/AFP
Szeged: The Hungarian camerawoman who was filmed kicking and possibly tripping migrants along the country's border with Serbia was sentenced to three years' probation for disorderly conduct.
Petra Laszlo, who appeared in the Szeged District Court by remote video from an undisclosed location, mounted a tearful defense and said she would appeal.
Judge Illes Nanasi yesterday said Laszlo's behavior "ran counter to societal norms" and said the facts of the case did not support Laszlo's self-defense claim.
The incident occurred near the border town of Roszke on Sept 8, 2015, where Laszlo had gone to film migrants from the Middle East who were trying to pass through Hungary on their way west. While she was filming, several migrants broke through a police cordon and jostled her as they shot by.
Laszlo responded by delivering a roundhouse-style kick to two people as they fled, including a young girl. Later, she appeared to trip a migrant carrying a child.
Her employer, the internet-based N1 TV, fired her after the incident, she said.
